Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie
is a Japanese anime film directed by Morio Asaka and produced by Madhouse and Bandai Visual. The film is based on the anime TV series adaptation of CLAMP's ''Cardcaptor Sakura manga series. Written by Nanase Ohkawa, Clamp's head writer, it was released in Japanese theaters on August 21, 1999. It was the Feature Film Award at the 1999 Animation Kobe. The film can also be titled, Sakura Goes to Hong Kong. A second film, Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card, followed in 2000. Set between the first and second seasons of the television series, after Episode 35 Sakura's Wonderful Christmas and before Episode 36 Sakura and the Snowy New School Term. The film shows Sakura and her friends going to Hong Kong where they encounter a vengeful spirit of a very strong sorceress who was hurt by Clow Reed in the past. Plot The film begins with Sakura and Syaoran capturing the Arrow Card, with Tomoyo videotaping the event and Kero and Meiling cheering for the two. Later that night, Sakura has a strange dream of being surrounded by water and of a strange woman. The next day, everyone receives their report cards, which all but Meiling got good grades. Syaoran is nervous of his grades because of his mother, but is relieved that he got decent grades to show her. Sakura and Tomoyo go shopping and visit Maki's shop, where Sakura plays a lotto and wins a trip to Hong Kong. Sakura invites Tomoyo to go with her, and wants her father to go too. However, because of his job, he is unable to and that leaves Toya, much to her dismay. But she is cheered up when Yukito decides to go as well. Along with Kero, they fly to Hong Kong. Once there, Sakura feels a strange presence involving water. She is separated from her friends and hypnotized into nearly falling into water until Syaoran suddenly appears and snaps her out of it. Meanwhile, Tomoyo runs into Meiling, who explains that she and Syaoran have returned to Hong Kong for the spring break. She offers them to come back to the Li mansion so Sakura can change clothes after tripping in the water. There, they meet Syaoran's four older sisters and his mother, who takes an immediate interest in Sakura and invites them to sleep over, much to Syaoran's chagrin. Sakura is later warned by his mother that a powerful magical force is following Sakura. Syaoran is forced by his mother to accompany Sakura and the others around the city. However, Sakura encounters a woman with the same magical presence she has been feeling and uses water as her weapon. One by one, the spirit captures Toya, Yukito, Tomoyo, and Meiling. Sakura and Syaoran team up to save their friends. While Syaoran fights the woman, Sakura frees Tomoyo. However Syaoran is defeated and captured, and he orders Sakura to run and save everyone. Coming back into the room Sakura tries and fails to find the book that transported them to the other dimension. Now back in the hotel room Kero tells Sakura and Tomoyo a tale of when Clow Reed met and fell in love with a fortune teller (a hydromancer) in Hong Kong. His magic had caused her to use the magic for evil and so Clow Reed trapped her in a magical prison, and with that she vowed revenge against him. When trying to figure out how to go back to the woman to save their friends, Sakura remembers the well and realises that that's the place to go. Arriving at the well the three find out there is a barrier around the well house, when trying to figure out how to get in they hear footsteps coming toward them. Syaoran's mother shows up and splits the barrier for Sakura. Telling Tomoyo to stay, Sakura goes in to the well alone. While going through, Kero tells Sakura to think of where she wants to go. She thinks "I want to go to where my friends are", she arrives in a room. The birds from before are there and flies away. Sakura runs and arrives at a door. she opens the door to find water filled up to the top of the roof. Walking she swims to the top to once again confront the fortune teller. The woman demands to know where Clow Reed is, and that she has been using her magic to summon him and only Sakura appeared. Sakura tells the spirit that Clow Reed has been dead for many years, which the spirit refuses to believe. The woman attacks Sakura and demands the truth, and sadly saying she has been waiting for him for a long time. Sakura realizes that the woman in fact loved Clow Reed after he gave her a hair flower pendent, and finally the woman believes that Clow Reed is dead. With that, the woman dissolves into water, leaving only the pendent she has cherished, which dissolves a minute after she's gone. Everyone is free of their prison and everything returns to normal. The film concludes with everyone preparing to board a ferry and are about to return to Japan. Everyone does not remember anything, which the three says that that's a good thing. But the movie ends with Sakura saying that she has a feeling she has not seen the last of Hong Kong. Production The same production staff that produced the anime TV series adaptation of Cardcaptor Sakura also produced Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie. The film, animated by Madhouse and produced by Bandai Visual, was directed by Morio Asaka, written by Nanase Ohkawa of Clamp, and featured character design by Kumiko Takahashi, who based the designs on Clamp's original illustrations. The art director for the film was Katsufumi Hariu, and there were three animation directors: Hitoshi Ueda, Kumiko Takahashi and Kunihiko Sakurai. The music was produced by Takayuki Negishi, with Masafumi Mima as the sound director. Media releases Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie was released on VHS, LD and DVD in Japan by Bandai Visual on February 25, 2000. The film was re-released on November 25, 2000 on VHS, May 25, 2007 on DVD in a two-disc set with Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card, and on December 22, 2009 on DVD. Nelvana released an English dubbed version of the film, retaining the same name and story changes as its main Cardcaptors dub. As with the television series, Pioneer Entertainment released the film without editing, including the original Japanese audio and English subtitles. Both the edited and unedited versions were released on VHS and DVD on March 26, 2002. The theme song for the film is by Naomi Kaitani. The single containing the song was released on August 11, 1999 by Victor Entertainment. The film's original soundtrack was released on August 25, 1999 by Victor Entertainment containing one disc and 30 tracks. Gallery Clothes and costumes worn by Sakura in the film. Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie - Title..jpg|English DVD cover SakuraMovie1 01.png|The Green Dress SakuraMovie1 02.png SakuraMovie1 03.png|The Purple Dress Memorial Artbook 29.png Illustration 03 69.png Illustration 03 74.png Illustration 03 73.png Illustration 03 72.png Illustration 02 19.png Cardcaptor.Sakura.full.571019.jpg References External links *[http://www.madhouse.co.jp/works/2000-1999/works_movie_cardcapturesakura.html Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie] at Madhouse * Navigation Category:Episodes Category:Movies